Are we there yet? – The status and benefits of working with DEI and what we do at WirelessCar

When it comes to the issues of workplace diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI), there is still much to do, in the tech industry just like in many other industries. Why is that, and how do we take concrete action towards reaching greater diversity, equity, and inclusion? In this article, I will discuss the status and benefits, and show how WirelessCar works with these issues.

Identifying persistent gender inequality in the tech industry

While progress is happening, and the numerous positive effects of DEI are becoming more widely recognized, there are also indications that this progress is too slow and insufficient.

In Sweden, one of the most equal societies in the world, the number of women working in the tech sector was the same in 2021 as it had been nearly a decade earlier. During that same time period, the number of female tech company CEOs barely grew at all.

In a related finding, the 2023 DORA Accelerate state of DevOps report states that: “People who identify as underrepresented and women experience more burnout, likely due to systemic factors such as repetitive work. Underrepresented respondents report 24% more burnout [and] do 29% more repetitive work.”

Then, there is the persistence of unconscious bias. While this can take on numerous forms, it can be particularly revealing to look at how women and men are perceived. A Norwegian study from 2015 used the examples of Hanna and Hans to illustrate how a particular case was met with very different reactions, depending on who of the two (Hans and Hanna) the respondents thought the case was about. Although the case was identical, respondents viewed Hans, the male manager, much more positively than Hanna, the female equivalent.

These are but some examples that show the importance of actually measuring progress (and regression) from the perspective of diversity, equity, and inclusion. Are we there yet, or merely assuming that we are?

Measuring the concrete effects of diversity, equity, and inclusion

A 2020 study by the World Economic Forum found that companies that successfully implemented diversity, equity, and inclusion were more innovative – and realized more revenue from their innovation – than the market average.

In fact, the benefits of diversity, equity, and inclusion applied to virtually every aspect of these companies’ operations. Looking specifically at employees, they were happier, more creative and engaged, and showed greater risk mitigation, problem-solving abilities and focus on inclusion and sustainability.

DEI also contributes to a psychological sense of safety: a key term in the world of agile development, and a key factor for successful agile teamwork at large. Your agile teams cannot reach their full potential unless they work in an environment that they know is safe; safe for active participation and for expressing ideas; safe for rethinking strategies when needed; safe for all co-workers, regardless of who they are.

Agile teams and organizations that are characterized by a psychological sense of safety will work better, cooperate better, and contribute to the success of your company and brand. This is something we firmly believe in at WirelessCar, and that helps us deliver complex products to a global marketplace with diverse end-users.

How the tech industry can move towards greater diversity, equity, and inclusion

By not acknowledging their DEI shortcomings, companies lose out on talent, innovative power, and revenue. If they wish to remain competitive, they cannot afford to – in effect – squander a lot of the resources they have by not allowing a diversity of perspectives.

How best to allow that diversity of perspectives, then? A lot of it goes back to the aforementioned psychological sense of safety. If people can speak their minds, be open and relaxed at work, and provide diverse input in their various projects, they will contribute to more and greater products and services.

None of this will happen by itself. Companies will have to initiate conversations, events, surveys, and other activities that provide real input and awareness as well as quick resolve to surfacing issues. How does unconscious bias affect the organization? How common is it, and what are the consequences for the company at large?

Often times though, a great focus is placed on inclusion of minorities, but to succeed I believe we need to talk more about the inclusion of everyone. This needs to be a group effort to ensure no one is left behind. Otherwise, it may be hard to get the traction you need for success in this area.

Five things we do to make WirelessCar a more inclusive workplace

These are some examples of the work we do to ensure greater diversity, equality, and inclusion at WirelessCar.

• Working on unconscious bias issues and greater representation
  We are addressing unconscious bias as well as cross-cultural and gender differences throughout our organization, and work on promoting greater inclusivity and representation in the language and imagery we use at WirelessCar. Prejudices and unconscious biases must never prevent us from doing our best and grow, or cause discomfort in the workplace. This is reflected in every step of the employee journey from recruitment, to growth and development.
• Emphasis on inclusion and a psychological sense of safety
  To be clear, a psychological sense of safety is not just a goal, but an ongoing effort. And it is for each and every one of us, no matter who we are. Our CEO addresses it often, and it is something we discuss and work with continually using our team development tools. At WirelessCar, you are welcome as you are!
• Weekly questionnaires provide input on our wellbeing at work
  Each week, our employees are encouraged to answer a survey on their wellbeing. The answers provide important statistics on how our different teams and departments function in practice, so that issues can be addressed and resolved as quickly as possible.
• Flexibility, trust and responsibility go hand in hand at WirelessCar
  We have chosen a work method that allows our employees to be flexible in terms of where they work, and to an extent what hours they work, too. We know that the lives of our employees differ a lot, and want to support our people to find a good work-life balance in the best way we can. Our teams have a high degree of freedom to decide how to best structure their work. It is a method of flexibility that relies on trust and individual responsibility, and it has proven to be very successful for us.
• Social activities and events that encourage team cooperation and networking
  WirelessCar is working very actively to arrange and promote social activities that facilitate networking among and between our teams. When our employees grow their workplace network, they thrive and come up with more new ideas together. We also have a women’s network where we support each other to think big and contribute with our expertise and perspectives. That benefits our entire organization, and certainly our customers and business partners, too.

With diversity comes greater expertise, and our products and services are proof of that

WirelessCar’s diversity of perspectives makes us a more innovative and knowledgeable business partner and helps us create better connected car services for our customers around the world. We can build better relations, avoid misunderstandings, speak the same language (literally and figuratively), and ensure that our products and services meet both national and global requirements.

So, to use a commonly asked, car-related question: are we there yet? The answer: by no means. There is still much, much more work to do. Female programmers and system developers, to use a concrete example: we want and need more of them. Moreover, we need to recognize that we still have far to go, that it is more a question about including everyone on equal terms than promoting certain groups, and that we need to pick up the pace significantly.

WirelessCar is living proof that diversity and a multitude of perspectives really do make a company stronger, more innovative, and more welcoming, for everyone. If that sounds like a workplace you want to be a part of, we hope to see you here with us in the future!

Do you want to know more about who we are, how we work, and who our customers are? Take a look around our website, and if you have any questions, just reach out to me via the email address below. Keep an eye out on our WirelessCar Insights Blog to learn more about our work on everything from new EV solutions to machine learning to PI Planning.